'Western Warrior' Henry Coyle to defend WBF title in Castlebar

Mayo’s Henry Coyle is set to defend his WBF light middleweight title in a bout with Argentina’s Marcelo Rodriguez in Castlebar tonight.

The ‘Western Warrior’ claimed the then vacant title just over a year ago when he stopped Italian Elio Cotena at the Royal Theatre.

The 29-year-old is looking to build on that success when he returns to the venue.

“Winning the WBF title was undoubtedly the highlight of my career to date," Coyle said when the fight was announced.

“To win the title in front of my own fans in Castlebar was a dream come true, and I’ll be looking to deliver a repeat performance next month,” he added.

“The support last time was massive, I’ve always had great support right throughout my career going back to my amateur days but that night was something special and hopefully we can do it all again next month.”

The Geesala native has a record of 17 wins and two losses, while his vastly-experienced 34-year-old opponent has a record of 60 wins and 19 defeats.

The undercard will see Cavan’s Andy Murray take on another Argentinean in the shape of Sergio Omar Priotti, while Brendan 'The Firecracker' Fitzpatrick will face John Waldron.